Welding systems reside at the core of the modern industrial age. From massive automobile assembly operations to automated manufacturing environments, these systems facilitate joining in ever more complicated manufacturing operations. Hot or cold wire welding processes a wire or electrode being heated (e.g., via current) and received by a puddle created by a main heat source (e.g., plasma arc, tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding, metal inert gas (MIG) welding, flux core, laser, among others).
TIG welding may be used in various welding operations including orbital welding and non-orbital welding, manual welding or automated welding operations. TIG welding employs a tungsten electrode. A number of standard electrode sizes are used ranging from 0.020″ to 5/32″ with the 1/16″ and 3/32″ being the most commonly used electrode diameters. To establish stable arc, a user will adjust current/voltage amplitude, duration, frequency amperage and in alternating current (AC) welding the ratio of positive to negative pulse to tune the arc based on the electrode being used. A key stage in TIG welding is the initiation of the arc. Tuning the multiple parameters identified above for arc initiation is difficult because of the number of variables available to the user.